


A Lonely Gallery

by oreopizza47



Series: A Living History [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27134351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oreopizza47/pseuds/oreopizza47
Summary: Urim gro-Bar arrives in Solitude to meet an old friend.
Series: A Living History [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980581





	A Lonely Gallery

Urim gro-Bar was no stranger to death. 

In his birthplace, a stronghold high in the rocky crags of northern Hammerfell, it was not unusual to see the bodies of unfortunate attackers skewered on the end of a spear and left as a warning to others. It was not unusual to see a foolhardy Orsimer struck down by a wild bear or sabercat when getting too confident on a hunt. It was not even unusual, though it was exceedingly rare, for an Orsimer criminal to die in the center of the stronghold, bled out as blood price for a particularly heinous grievance.

The thing about death, in Urim's mind, was that it should always be faced with honor. A glorious battle is preferred of course, in Orsimer culture, but the battle need not always be physical. Raging against unfair oppression, or accepting the price of mistakes and betrayal, or laying down your life for a great cause. A death worthy of legend...

These were the thoughts that went through Urim's mind as he watched the spectacle on the main stage, just inside the entrance of Solitude. It looked like nearly the whole town was out watching, as a Nord named Roggvir awaited execution. Many of the townsfolk jeered and crowed at him, calling him a traitor to the Empire, but he stood tall. When the time came for his sentence to be carried out, he lowered himself to the chopping block unaided, and accepted his death with peace.

An uncomfortable silence fell in the seconds following the headsman's axe. Even those who had cursed Roggvir's name seemed lost for words in the face of the stark reality of his death. Urim straightened up from the wall he had been leaning against and strode away from the gathering, not wanting to be caught up in the crowd when they finally found the nerve to disperse.

Though today was the first time Urim had ever seen Solitude, he marched with purpose through the hold, slowing to a halt at the intersection of three grand entrances. Behind him, betrayed by the gentle tunes of lyres and flutes, was the entrance to the Bard's College, the foremost school for musical knowledge in Tamriel. On his left, the great arched gate of the Blue Palace, the seat of power for the Jarl of the hold. And in front of him, his destination, guarded by an ornate wrought-iron gate topped with iconography of a dragon's skull: the Dragonborn Gallery.

⁂

Urim reached into a bandolier on his hip and pulled out the letter that had brought him to Solitude. 

"Greetings, my friend, I hope this letter finds you and finds you well. It's been some time since we've worked together and I had a proposition for you, assuming you can be persuaded to pull yourself from your work at the Gwylin university."

Hah. That was a running joke of Auryen's. They both knew that Urim had left the university nearly as quickly as he entered it, staying only long enough to pick up some more advanced knowledge of historical preservation and the basics of magical theory. The first had led him to Auryen, a persistent Altmer who seemed unbothered by Urim's stoic and abrasive nature, while the second had resulted in a few singed eyebrows and some complementary skill in healing. He had been told his skill with magic could easily become incredibly diverse, but the oppressively cloistered atmosphere of the university was a touch too much for him to bear for long, and he elected to continue his wandering across Tamriel in search of knowledge. Most of the university could hardly be called "sad to see him go", but Auryen seemed to think of Urim as a kindred spirit in the goal of preservation, and had worked hard to stay in touch by courier over the years. 

Urim skimmed through the salient points of the letter: Auryen had been hired as the curator of a museum in Solitude, needed some extra hands to help acquire new relics while he focused on the day-to-day operations, and was offering pay and housing in exchange for the assistance. Urim knew that this was a big deal to Auryen, running his own museum. And it wasn't like Urim was having much luck chasing down leads on Orsimer history recently. Working with Auryen to collect historical relics could prove to help both of them.

⁂

And so it was that Urim found himself pushing open the double doors of the Dragonborn Gallery to see the exceedingly pleased face of his old friend Auryen Morellus. For a moment, it seemed Auryen might throw himself at Urim with glee, but he quickly regained composure and addressed Urim professionally. 

"Ah, greetings friend! A pleasure to see you!" 

"Auryen. You seem well." 

"Yes, yes, I am. I've been hard at work here expanding the property and setting up displays since I acquired it a few short years ago. It's grown into a fine establishment, if I do say so myself."

Urim knew that Auryen was getting on a roll. He felt no need to interrupt yet. He used the time to take in the view of the entrance hall. A book on a nearby shelf caught his eye, and he stepped over to grab it. Auryen paid him little heed, continuing his spiel. 

"Now, this was originally a hall dedicated to the worship of Talos. Obviously the leadership here couldn't keep it going for that purpose, so I snatched it up as soon as I heard. Ah, I see you've snagged a copy of the Curators Guide, good. Feel free to page through while I give you the ten septim tour!" 

Urim grunted approval, and followed Auryen into the main hall.

"First up, we have the Hall Of Heroes! A dashing entrance hall as you can see, with plenty of display space that can be used for a wide variety of artifacts of historical import."

Can be used? Not is used? A glance around showed several recesses sunk into the walls, littered with dozens of empty wall hangings and displays. Some of the recesses did have some interesting artwork at least...

"Off to the right is the dining area, as well as passage to the staff barracks. If you'll follow me to the left, you'll begin to find many of the expansions I've made to the property."

As Auryen spoke, they walked through the arched door to the left of the main hall, and into a rather sparse hallway area.

"The door ahead of us leads to the East Exhibit Halls. Within are a few unique areas. The Daedric Exhibit Hall is, as the name implies, dedicated to all things Daedric, including a replica of an Oblivion Gate from back in the crisis. The Hall Of Lost Empires is dedicated to the Falmer and Dwemer and the artifacts they left behind. And the Hall Of Oddities is home to a large variety of display areas for all manner of interests. Up the stairs to the left, you'll find the Hall Of Natural Science, as well as the Dragonborn Hall, which I believe will become the focal point of the whole gallery in time."

There it was again. Will become? Not already is? 

"Down the stairs, you'll find access to a lavishly prepared armory, with representation for every region of Skyrim and much of the rest of Tamriel, while down the other end of this hall is the library, my personal favorite location in the gallery. If you can't find me in the curator's office, you'll almost certainly find me in there." 

As Auryen began to wind down his explanations, the pair ended up in front of what appeared to be the aforementioned curator's office. Over Auryen's shoulder, Urim could see several workbenches and a collection of scattered crates spilling hay all over the floor. 

"Now my friend, please feel free to take a look around, let me know what you think! I believe you'll be quite pleased with what we have to work with."

Urim grunted, and huffed "We will see". With that, he turned to explore the museum for himself. 

⁂

Before long, Urim found himself staring in disbelief at the letter that had brought him here in the first place.

"... not had much luck in procuring adequate relics..."

Urim had thought it was fair to assume that was simply referring to some difficulty in acquiring major historical centerpieces, maybe a slightly empty recently-opened galleria. What he actually saw... He had to talk to Auryen. Now.

He finally found Auryen sitting at the scribe's desk in the curator's office, scratching away in a leather-bound journal.

"Ah, Urim! I take it you've toured the premises to your satisfaction?" called Auryen as Urim marched into the room.

"Auryen. Tell me this is one of your practical jokes."

"Practical… What are you talking about? Oh, the locked door to the safehouse? Yes, I forgot to give you-"

"No, Auryen, not the safehouse. The gallery. It's empty."

"Well that's an uncharitable way to put it, but-"

"You have a library with hardly any books. An armory with nothing but naked mannequins."

Auryen's usually unshakeable composure was starting to slip, but Urim paid it little heed. He continued, though careful to keep his tone even.

"Auryen, the only hall that seems worth paying to get in here and see is the Hall Of Natural Science, and even that is only because of the nature dioramas."

"… yes, I had hoped you'd appreciate that area." Auryen's voice was a bit quieter than normal.

Hmm. That hadn't been Urim's intention. And he knew better than most how much a small outward change can betray dangerous internal shifts. He let out a deep sigh, and spoke, "The dioramas in the hall were… nice. It's pleasing to see some of the information I shared in our letters take on physical form."

A beat passed between the two in silence, before Auryen straightened up in his chair, and opened his hand toward Urim in a gesture which seemed to say, "Please, say your piece".

"I recognize that your letter said you needed help procuring relics. But I had expected to help put together some specific collection, or convince some peddlers and citizens of the land to part with significant heirlooms. I was not expecting… a gallery in name only, with wall to wall empty space save for a few decorative sconces themed to the containing hall."

"I see". Auryen stood from his desk and strode over to where Urim stood near a display case against the wall. Inside lay an ornate sword, easily of high enough quality to be displayed more publicly. Before Urim could ask about it, Auryen continued speaking.

"We've known each other a while now, a fine decade or so, yes? In your short time at Gwylim, I came to truly appreciate your direct nature. All this is to say, I understand your concern. But, if you'll allow me to spin a short tale?" Auryen cocked his head quizzically. Urim nodded and remained silent.

Auryen continued, though a wistful tone had snuck into his voice. "I know it can be hard to tell with most Mer, but I've been around for quite some time. For much of my youth, I traveled the world, much as you do, searching for knowledge and glory. I had no small amount of luck, but nothing I accomplished felt… lasting. And so, in the last several decades, I have been building connections and performing extensive research in hopes of pulling together something that will become bigger than just my life. This gallery will become bigger than either of us. But…"

Auryen turned to Urim and clasped his shoulder, some vigor returning to his voice. "Adventure no longer suits me. I need someone trustworthy, someone steadfast, who can help me turn this place from an expensive dream into a beacon of historic knowledge. When I realized that, I could think of no one better than you."

Urim felt a small stirring of pride at that. He knew that Auryen was long-lived, and presumably had a large network of colleagues he could call on if need be. To be considered the first choice for an undertaking so important to Auryen, it was almost sentimental enough to make up for the unpleasant surprise of the lacking gallery. He didn't let it show much in his face, but he must have softened subtly, as he could see Auryen relax and shift into a small smile.

Urim looked around the room, taking in the workbenches and stacked journals. Clearly there was already a lot of effort here. He sighed again, and turned back to Auryen. 

"Alright."

"Splendid! Ah, I knew you'd understand. Now, to assuage your apprehension, I do have some leads for you to follow up on right away. I have them written down on these notes here." He swiped a stack of papers off the corner of the desk and passed them to Urim. As he continued talking, he began fishing around in his pockets. "But, before you dive into the work, I insist you settle into the safehouse upstairs. I promised you room and board, and I'll - ah, there it is! - I'll not be made a liar. Here, the key to the safehouse. You can access it from the stairs in the staff barracks, or from the balcony upstairs." With that, Auryen cheerfully handed a silver key to Urim. As soon as it was safely in Urim's grip, Auryen began gently pressuring him out of the office. "Please, head upstairs and make sure everything is to your liking. I've made arrangements with the general store in town to provide furnishings if you find anything lacking. Spend some time today getting used to the area, and we'll reconvene tomorrow to discuss those leads before you start making plans."

Urim wasted no time taking the hint. Though they both seemed content with how the arrangement worked out, he knew neither of them enjoyed the verbal conflict beforehand. Taking the rest of the day apart would give them time to cool. If they were going to fill this whole museum together, this understanding they shared would be invaluable.

For now, Urim ventured up to the safehouse. It had been a long while since he had a bed of his own. Even longer since he had a place to call home, but he was yet unsure if that would be changing. At the end of the day, the task he was accepting didn't exactly mark the end of his transient lifestyle. At any rate, the bed was enough. For now.

⁂

**Author's Note:**

> Solarm is dead, long live Urim.
> 
> With Solarm, I became obsessed with making sure I was perfectly representing every minute of his life, in both his journal and in third person narration. Obviously that didn't pan out, because I never even finished or posted the first third person segment. 
> 
> So with Urim, I'm going to try a little harder to turn the game into a story. Urim has an existing backstory, which I hope to reveal organically. Urim has a journal in the game, but that's for his use. I'm simply summarizing life, not replicating it. 
> 
> In this first chapter, I tried to bring across Urim as a person. The stoicism, social difficulty, traditionalism. I'm not sure exactly what his story is yet, as I've only just started. But I can't wait to see where he goes.


End file.
